


Creativity Has Consequences: A Markiplier Choose Your Own Adventure Story (Part 1- The Introduction)

by Closeted_Bookworm



Series: Creativity Has Consequences: A Markiplier Choose Your Own Adventure Story [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Choose Your Own Adventure, Felix Kjellberg Egos, Gen, Kidnapping, M/M, Mark Fischbach Egos, Mild Gore, Not Actually Complete, Sanders Sides - Freeform, Sean McLoughlin Egos, Self-Sacrifice, YouTubers - Freeform, more coming - Freeform, other dimensions, part of a larger work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:42:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 13,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24283033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Closeted_Bookworm/pseuds/Closeted_Bookworm
Summary: In this story, you take the wheel and decide which path Mark takes in his journey. Investigate an ancient well, learn to shoot a crossbow, make new friends, encounter new enemies, your choices decide how the story plays out. Think "A Heist With Markiplier," but without the reader insert.Warning: This is only Part 1 of this story. It's more or less an experiment on my part to see if people like this while I work on writing the rest of it. This is NOT a complete story yet, more like a teaser, though the whole thing is planned out and in the works. Comments would be much appreciated; I love constructive criticism!
Relationships: Chase Brody/King of Squirrels, Mark Fischbach & Friends
Series: Creativity Has Consequences: A Markiplier Choose Your Own Adventure Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752970
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Interactive Fiction/Actual ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to The Introduction, the first installment in this epic tale. This part has six endings, one of which will lead you to the next part of the story, which will be published as a new work in this series and is entitled Start Your Journey. At the bottom of every chapter will be several choices. The number in parentheses is the chapter number of each option. Use the chapter selection drop-down menu to proceed. There are several different paths to explore, and much to be learned, so enjoy!

Mark wakes up on Saturday with average expectations. He sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning, ready to start the day. He gets dressed and pops some bread into the toaster, glancing at the calendar to see that his schedule for today is clear. He smiles in anticipation of a leisurely day without any responsibilities. He looks out the window as he feeds Chica, taking in the clear sky and bright sun, and remembers that it was only supposed to be around seventy or eighty degrees today. Maybe a walk outside would be nice. On the other hand, it would be great to get ahead on recording videos so he would have a little bit of a buffer for the next week. It would probably bring his stress levels down, and he had a new horror game to play that had gotten positive reviews.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go for a walk (2)  
⤗Go record a video (17)

_Hi, don't mind me, I'm just your friendly neighborhood narrator. I'll be providing sarcastic commentary for the duration of your journey, so please keep all fourth wall breakage safely within these notes and stow all carry-ons under your seat. Thank you, and good luck!_

_.A-_


	2. Chapter 2

_It’s beautiful outside today,_ Mark thinks. _A walk sounds wonderful._ He pulls on his shoes and steps outside, breathing in all the fresh smells of spring with a smile on his face. He walks down the sidewalk, waving to his neighbor as they walk their dog. He’s glad he decided to come out and stretch his legs. He’s spent way too long cooped up inside this week. Maybe he’ll walk up to the 7-11 and treat himself to a Slurpee. 

He turns the corner and leaves his neighborhood, exchanging the houses to his left for woods as he follows the curve of the road. He loves living so close to a forest. It means that there is a lot more wildlife in the area. He occasionally sees deer nibbling delicately on the plants bordering his backyard, and he’d recently started bird watching, buying a little guide off of Amazon and checking off every species he spotted. There was a little trail that led through the woods, and he would hike along that, listening to the ambiance of the woods and keeping an eye out for any feathered friends. Speaking of which, there’s the turn-off. He doesn’t have his guide with him, but the trail is shaded and looks cool and inviting.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Continue along the sidewalk (3)  
⤗Walk through the woods (26) 


	3. Chapter 3

Mark decides not to take the trail right now. He’s not wearing the best shoes for hiking, and he doesn’t want to stop and empty pebbles out of them every five minutes. He continues walking down the sidewalk, admiring the blossom-laden trees along the road. Spring is just starting to arrive, and everything is covered in new growth. He stops in at the 7-11 and buys himself a blue raspberry Slurpee, then continues his walk, taking little sips of it as he admires the scenery. 

He drops his empty cup in the first trash can he sees. He is starting to feel a little sweaty. Maybe he should head back home.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (4)  
⤗Turn back (10) 


	4. Chapter 4

Mark decides to keep walking for a little while longer. After all, he doesn’t have anything else to do today. He walks for another hour. He’s starting to wish he’d brought a water bottle. He’s walked past the edge of the forest now and has entered town, and the familiar sounds of traffic rumble around him.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (5)  
⤗Turn back (10) 


	5. Chapter 5

He keeps going, heading into the more densely populated areas. It’s good exercise, and as long as he can get back before it starts to get dark he’ll be fine. He’s heading into the heart of the city now, and the noise and bustle grows louder around him. He can hear someone’s car alarm blaring in the distance, but he’s used to the noises of the city by now and actually kind of enjoys it.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (6) _Aren’t you tired of walking yet?_  
⤗Turn back (10) 


	6. Chapter 6

Mark keeps walking. He stops at a gas station and grabs a sandwich for lunch that he eats as he goes. After an hour or so, the buildings start to thin out and are interspersed with clusters of town homes.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (7) _For real, his feet are starting to ache._  
⤗Turn back (10) 


	7. Chapter 7

Mark keeps walking for another hour. He stops and shakes a rock out of his left shoe, his calf muscles protesting as he stands back up and continues his trek. He’s walking through an unknown neighborhood now.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (8) _You’re doing this on purpose now, aren’t you?_  
⤗Turn back (11) _Fine. Be that way._


	8. Chapter 8

He is still walking. It’s kind of late in the afternoon now, and the sun is beating down mercilessly. He has left the neighborhoods, and the sidewalk vanished a ways back, so he’s just walking along the shoulder of the road, kicking up dust and listening to the birdsong.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Keep walking (9) _Don’t say I didn’t warn you._  
⤗Turn back (11) 


	9. Chapter 9

Mark keeps walking. It’s starting to get dark now, and his stomach is growling, but he ignores it, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. He walks and walks, and the lines of the pavement start to blur together. He’s not sure why he started walking, but he knows that he doesn’t want to stop. He walks through the night, periodically blinded by the rush of headlights flying past but uncaring of the inconvenience. He walks on and on and on. His phone buzzes incessantly in his pocket, so he tosses it to the side, leaving his life behind him. A little voice nags in the back of his head, like there was something he urgently needed to do. There was someone who needed his help. He pushes the voice away, a dull ringing building up in his ears. He walks. And walks. And walks. And walks.

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (1/6)⤗  
Mark walked off the edge of the Earth. 

_You most likely did this on purpose, thinking it was funny. You’re right. It’s hilarious. ha. ha. ha._


	10. Chapter 10

Mark turns around and starts heading back to his house. He’s starting to get a little tired, and he’s excited to relax at home. As he walks back past the forest trail, a squirrel scampers past his feet, almost tripping him, and darts into the woods. He watches it run a little wistfully. It might be nice to get out of the sun for a minute, or he could go back home to the air conditioning and do something else.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go home (12)  
⤗Walk through the woods (26) 


	11. Chapter 11

Mark decides to turn back and head for home. He’s been out for long enough. As he makes his way back towards his house, the sun starts to set below the horizon in front of him, streaking the sky with brilliant hues of pink and orange. He picks up his pace, hoping he can make it back before dark. It’s not safe to be out and about alone at night. 

The last rays of light fade, and he shivers as the warmth in the air leeches away with it. He keeps to the well-lit streets, doing his best to stay away from the areas of the city known for muggings, but he has no way of getting home that completely avoids all of them. As he walks down the deserted street, he hears another set of footsteps join his. He speeds up a tad more, and the footsteps pick up behind him, breaking into a jog. He looks around frantically for a store to duck into, but the 7-11 he stopped by earlier is still fifty yards ahead of him, and everything else is closed. He starts to run, and he can hear boots pounding on the pavement behind him. He glances back and sees a man in dark clothing with a red ski mask pulled low over his face, an opened switchblade glinting in the light of the street lamp. 

Mark puts on a burst of speed, but as he passes an alley another man, this one in a blue mask, leaps out of it and shoves him roughly to the ground, planting a boot on his chest. He tries to kick the man away from him, but he dodges the attempt and draws a gun from a holster on his side. Mark freezes. 

“I don’t have my wallet with me,” he says desperately, voice pitched higher than usual from fear. The man who’d been chasing him joins his companion, planting a kick in Mark’s side, and he grunts in pain. The two don’t speak, simply staring down at him, the gun trained towards his face. “Please, I don’t have anything you want.” A shout rings out behind them, and Mark glances towards the 7-11 to see the cashier standing at the door, phone out and dialing. The robbers exchange looks, and before Mark can react, they plunge the knife into his chest and take off running. He looks down at the wooden handle sprouting from his torso in shock, an indescribable pain spreading through him. He coughs. It’s kind of hard to breathe. A scarlet stain stain is spreading across his front. He can hear the cashier running toward him, yelling something indiscernible, and his vision starts spinning. Another coughing fit strikes him, and he feels something dripping down his chin. He touches a hand to it, and his fingers come away crimson. The cashier kneels by his side, talking frantically into the phone, but everything sounds like it’s underwater. Spots start appearing in his vision. He blinks in confusion. It doesn’t really hurt anymore, actually. He wonders vaguely if that’s a bad thing. Blackness starts encroaching at the edges of his vision, and there’s a strange ringing in his ears as he drops into blissful unconsciousness.

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (2/6)⤗  
Mark bled out. 

_This is a sad way to die. You didn’t even get to see the plot. I did warn you about being back before dark, though._


	12. Chapter 12

Mark walks back down the sidewalk to his house, eager to get out of the heat and sun. He goes inside, reveling in the modern marvel that is air conditioning. He walks to his fridge and pulls out his water bottle, taking a swig and then pressing it to his forehead, the ice cold plastic feeling heavenly. There’s still a while left in the day, maybe he could still get some recording done. He spots the novel he’s currently reading, sitting dog-eared on the arm of the couch. On the other hand, reading would be a great way to unwind.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go record a video (17)  
⤗Read a book (13) 


	13. Chapter 13

Mark puts the water bottle back in the fridge and grabs a bag of chips out of the pantry. Recording could wait. He was at an exciting bit in his book, and he didn’t have much left to read. He plopped himself down on the couch and picked up the novel, opening to where he left off and starting to read.

⬼⇼⤗

_Nothing would be easier without you, because you are everything, all of it- sprinkles, quarks, giant donuts, eggs sunny-side up- you are the ever-expanding universe to me._

Mark closes the book with a satisfied sigh, putting it down on the side table next to the empty bag of chips. He liked having free time to read, and that novel, which a friend had lent to him, had been a great choice. He would have to remember to ask them for more recommendations. He heaved himself up, depositing his chip bag in the trash and feeling a touch guilty he’d eaten the entire thing. Maybe he should go work out, he hadn’t gone to the gym yesterday.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go work out (14)  
⤗Go record a video (17) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. If you know what Mark was reading, you are a lovely human being.


	14. Chapter 14

Mark pulls his shoes on and gets his water bottle out of the fridge, taking his keys from the hook and his towel from the basket in his room. He drives to the gym, humming along to whatever pop song is blasting on the radio. He arrives, has a great workout, and leaves feeling tired but much better all the same. He takes a quick shower when he gets home, cool and refreshing, and pulls on a T-shirt with the great ache in his bones that comes after a good workout. He glances in the direction of his recording room, but his stomach grumbles and he wonders if he should have an early dinner.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go make dinner (15) _Ah, a fellow procrastinator. Welcome._  
⤗Go record a video (17) 


	15. Chapter 15

Mark’s stomach growls insistently, and he heads downstairs to the kitchen to satisfy its demands. He puts some water on to boil and grabs a box of noodles and a bottle of marinara sauce, intending to make spaghetti. Quick and easy. The water bubbles and roils, and he dumps the pasta in. He heats up a bowl of marinara in the microwave as the pasta cooks and grabs a slice of bread from the pantry.

⬼⇼⤗

As he mops up the last of the red sauce with the bread, he remembers that a new episode of his favorite show, which he’d set to record, had aired earlier that day.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Watch TV (16)  
⤗Go record a video (17) _Do you know what railroading is?_


	16. Chapter 16

Mark settles in on the couch and turns on the TV, pulling up the new episode and pressing play. After it finishes, he channel surfs for a while, flicking through news reports, sports games, and soap operas before settling on an old rerun of some black and white horror movie. 

It’s not as engaging as he thought it would be, and his eyelids start to droop as his attention drifts. He snaps himself awake with a start, but it doesn’t take long for him to slip into a light doze once again, gazing at the TV with half-lidded eyes and not really processing what he's seeing. As he falls asleep, the dramatic screams of the flick’s protagonist not quite reaching his ears, he hears a soft ringing start somewhere in the background, and before his eyes close fully he swears he sees the black and white film snap into color for a split second.

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (3/6)⤗  
Mark fell asleep. 

_He had a normal day, despite my best efforts. Congratulations._


	17. Chapter 17

Mark walks to his recording studio. He’s excited to check out the game; it’s an Indiana Jones style tomb raider scenario where you have to dodge various traps and escape with both the treasure and your life, and it’s filled with mummies and ghosts and who knows what else. He’s been told it has some really creative and well done scares. He sits down at his computer and tries to open up Steam, but his computer is moving really slowly for some reason, and it won’t pull up. He waits impatiently for the application to load, fingers tapping. His eyes roam across the screen, and his gaze catches on a stray pixel that is colored an odd shade of green. He examines it with a worried expression, hoping that nothing is wrong with his monitor. He gently rubs the screen, making sure there isn’t something stuck to it, but when he lowers his finger the spot has grown to the size of a nickel and is flickering red around the edges. 

“Crap.” He made it worse. He’s never seen his computer do this before. He moves the cursor over the spot, but the green spreads behind it, like he’d just dragged it through paint. To his shock, fingers poke through the rip in the window he’s accidentally created, prying it further open and revealing the grinning face of a miniature Jack, though he has pointed ears and his skin is tinted the same green as the spreading glitch on his screen. He looks like his character Anti. One of his friends, probably Jack himself, must be playing a prank on him, though he had no idea how they’d done it. He watches in amazement as the character shimmies through the tear, dropping to his desktop and causing the Steam window to close. He waves up at Mark, who giggles at the tiny figure crouching on his taskbar. Jack looks offended and crosses his arms, huffing poutily, which only makes him giggle harder. The digital man runs across his desktop and starts climbing his icons and files like a ladder, inching his way higher and higher until he reaches the button to open the camera. He slaps it, and his face fills the whole screen, like Mark was in a video call instead of viewing the feed from his webcam. Jack grins, revealing sharpened canines that are a little unsettling, the slash across his neck now clearly visible. Mark had to hand it to him, it was a really well done prank. He’d have to get him to teach him how it was made. Jack taps the volume icon at the bottom of the screen, so Mark puts on his headphones. 

“Hey, buddy,” Jack’s voice comes through, glitchy and distorted. Mark sits back to listen to the recording, thoroughly impressed, but Jack isn’t saying anything else, just looking at him expectantly. 

“What, not even a hello for your pal Anti?” he asks plaintively. He knocks on the screen. “Helooooo, talk to me!”

“Hello, Anti,” he responds jokingly, and his friend smiles. 

“That’s better. Now, can you do me a favor and put your palm up against the screen?”

Mark rolls his eyes, but does as he was directed. He doesn’t know what Jack’s doing, but it’s a great gag and he’s happy to play along. Maybe he should have turned on his camera and recorded his reaction. “Anti” drops his smile and his face turns into one of intense concentration, and he presses his hand up against Mark’s, fingers splayed in exactly the same way. _Wait, he knows where I put my hand?_ Mark tries to remove it, but he can’t. It feels like there’s a magnet keeping his palm fastened to the monitor. He gives it a sharp yank, but it doesn’t budge. A numb, staticy feeling starts spreading up his arm, and he starts to panic a little, jumping up from his chair, but the numbness keeps travelling, radiating through his entire body in only a few seconds. His computer starts to spark and smoke, the glass of the screen rippling like water, and then his hand is sliding _through_ it; he’s being sucked _into the computer, his hand glued to Anti’s. He braces himself against the desk, but the pull is irresistible, and in no time at all he disappears completely into the monitor, only his headphones left behind. The screen dissolves into static and dies, plunging the recording room into silent, empty darkness.  
_

⬼⇼⤗

Mark opens his eyes to see Jack’s emerald colored face very close to his own. He yelps and scrambles backwards, and the green-faced man giggles, again exposing his pointed teeth.

“Sorry about the abrupt exit, Markimoo, couldn’t be helped.” 

“ _What is going on?_ ”

“I would have thought that would be obvious. I hauled you through a magic portal in your computer screen to my world.”

“Your world?”

“The ego realm. I’m not your precious Jack in a costume. I’m _Anti._ ”

“That’s not possible. This isn’t real. I must be asleep.” He pinches himself. “Ow.”

“Nope, sorry bud, I’m as real as can be. Welcome to Septic Manor.”

Mark looks around, eyeing the exact replica of his recording set-up to their left. A mock-up of Jack’s recording studio is on the other side of the room, and he can see Ethan’s to his right next to a few he doesn’t recognize. He wonders if they’re other portals. _What is this place?_ He glances apprehensively at Anti, who’s watching him with an amused expression. 

“What am I doing here?”

“We need your help. The ego realm is in trouble, and you’re the only one who can fix it.”

Mark blinks in disbelief and bewilderment. “Okay, first of all, who’s ‘we?’ Second, what kind of trouble, and third, why me?”

“‘We’ means all the egos living here. We get characters from all sorts of channels. Whenever the audience starts supporting them, they pop up here. It’s like another plane of existence for fictional characters. You’ve created quite a few yourself. Which brings us to our current problem. You, of course, created Darkiplier?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I compliment you on your creative skill, but he is the absolute _worst._ He’s been trying to find a way to pass into the real world for years, and this time he’s actually done it. He’s been capturing egos, and he plans to drain their power and use it to create a gateway into your world.”

“What do you need me for?”

“None of us can hurt him. He’s a literal demon, and most of us can’t even touch him, let alone stop him. The last two rescue missions we staged did not exactly go well. Most egos have gone into hiding, or have joined him in hopes of getting through the gateway themselves. You, however, are Dark’s creator, which makes you immune to a lot of his powers. You’re linked to him, and if you can get there, you have a chance of destroying him. Hence the little sci-fi portal stunt I pulled.” 

“Why can’t he just do what you did and jump through the computer?”

“I have a, uh, special relationship with electronics. I’m a personified glitch. I’m the only one who can get out of the realm using computers.”

Mark runs a hand through his hair, trying to process what Anti is telling him. “What happens if he gets into the real world?” 

“Then he brings his demon powers and minions with him and wreaks havoc. I don’t know what his goal is exactly, but it’s most likely something along the lines of world domination.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah. Which is why we need your help. Will you join us?”

“Wow. Just- give me a second. This is a lot to take in.”

“Sure, take a minute.” Anti walks over to the computer and starts straightening the things that had been dislodged when he dragged Mark through. 

What was he supposed to do? He had just been sucked into a different world through his computer, if Anti was to be believed. One that was apparently under attack from his own alter ego, who only he could defeat.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Help Anti (21)  
⤗Don’t help (18) 


	18. Chapter 18

How is he supposed to save this world? He’s a YouTuber, not some hero out of a fantasy book. There is no way he’ll be able to do what Anti was asking of him. Plus, it would probably be dangerous, and, frankly, he was scared. He didn’t even know if he could trust Anti. In videos, he was evil, wasn’t he?

“Anti?”

The glitch looked up from his work. “Did you decide?”

“Yeah… I don’t think I can help you. I’m sorry.”

His face falls, and Mark looks guiltily down at his shoes. “But we need you. If Dark gets out, who knows what could happen.”

“I-I can’t.”

The man’s eyes harden. “If that’s your decision,” he says coldly.

“I’m sorry-”

“Yes, I’m sure you are. Get over here.”

“What, why-”

“Do you want to get home or not?”

“Oh…”

Mark walks over to stand in front of the computer with the other man, who sticks out a finger and gently touches the screen, brow furrowed in concentration. Where he taps it, ripples spread slowly outwards, distorting the image inside. Mark can see his own room inside it, shrouded in darkness. Anti steps aside and gestures to the screen. 

“Well, go on.”

Mark looks regretfully back at him, but Anti’s face remains stoic as he waves him forward. He climbs awkwardly onto the desk and sticks one hand through the screen, wincing at the buzzing sensation that engulfs him. He crawls through, accidentally knocking his mouse onto the floor, but before he can pull his left foot through the portal, the screen solidifies, trapping his ankle halfway through. He looks back in fear to see Anti staring him down, his features set in a scowl. 

“I want you to know something,” he says angrily. “I want you to know that you are dooming this world. There are people here who are suffering, and you don’t care. There will be people suffering in your world, and you could have prevented it. I hope you’re proud. Go enjoy your perfect life with the time you have left.” Anti shoves his foot the rest of the way through, and he falls off the desk with a thump as the computer screen floods with glitchy green fuzz. He rubs his sore ankle and thinks about what just happened. It’s so crazy it feels fake. He isn’t even sure if he regrets his decision or not. 

When he goes to bed that night, it’s with a heavy heart and a crushing sense of uncertainty. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Time passes (32) 


	19. Chapter 19

Mark slowly lowers the knife. 

“Ethan, get out of here.”

“I-I’m not leaving you,” he says shakily, getting to his feet. 

“Yes you are,” Mark says, sounding more confident than he feels. “I want you safe.”

Dark tilts his head towards Ethan, sending a meaningful look Wilford’s way. The psychopath grins and grabs his arm, tugging him towards the front door. Ethan yells in protest, struggling uselessly against the man’s iron grip and grabbing the doorframe in an attempt to slow him down, but he’s no match for Wilford’s unnatural strength. 

“Don’t hurt him!” Mark exclaims.

“Relax, he won’t. He’s merely bringing him back to his vehicle. He was so helpful driving us here when we asked him to.”

Anger curls up like a snake in Mark’s gut, joining the many butterflies of fear already living there. At least Ethan is safe. “Well, are you going to do it?”

“With pleasure.” Dark stands up and stalks towards him, a predatory grin on his face. Mark closes his eyes and gulps. A cold, detached pain runs through him in a wave, and he feels like he’s floating. He drifts away and fades into nothingness. 

Dark flexes the fingers of his new body, admiring his new physique and running his tongue over his teeth. He’s never felt so _real._ It’s wonderful. Wilford bursts back through the front door, re-holstering his revolver as he shuts the door behind him, a sick smile on his face. 

“You look great, boss.”

“Thank you. Now, we have work to do.”

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (5/6)⤗  
Mark died. 

_He was supremely unhelpful and may have caused a demon apocalypse, but you did manage to avoid my cliche dragged into the computer to save the world plotline, so good on you, I guess._


	20. Chapter 20

Mark steels himself. Dark’s not going to have a body if he has anything to say about it. He closes his eyes and drags the knife across his throat. 

Agony. A feeling of pure, unadulterated _pain_ shrieks through him. He can feel liquid pouring down his front as the blade clatters to the floor. A scream splits his eardrums, raw and terrible, and after a moment he realizes it’s coming from him. Another voice joins his, and the shrill wail of shock and grief and horror that tears itself from Ethan pierces his heart. Dimly, he hears Dark laughing. 

“Oh well. I suppose I’ll have to settle for second best. A body is a body, after all. Your useless sacrifice was amusing, though.” 

Mark forces his eyes open, and in his last moments, sees Dark and Wilford advancing on Ethan. 

_No…_

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (4/6)⤗  
Mark bled out. 

_I’m sure Ethan appreciated the thought behind it. At least he won’t have to deal with the psychological trauma for longer than a few seconds._


	21. Chapter 21

If there’s something he can do to help this world, he wants to do it. It’s a lot of pressure to be told that he’s the only hope for an entire plane of existence, and he can’t abandon it to be overrun by a character he created. 

“Yes,” he tells Anti, nerves twisting in his gut but determination in his voice. Anti looks up, a delighted expression on his face. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. I have no idea what to do, though. How am I supposed to defeat a demon?”

“Follow me, I’ll show you.”

Anti bounds out of the room, and Mark breaks into a light jog to keep up with him as he practically dances down the hallway. Mark notices that the man’s feet don’t always touch the ground after each step. It’s like he’s walking because he’s supposed to, not because he actually needs to. 

He looks at his surroundings with interest as they run past. The walls are made of stone like an old-fashioned castle, and are hung with paintings every ten feet or so. He recognizes a lot of fan art he’s seen over the years of various JSE egos, supersized and framed like oil paintings. 

Anti screeches to an abrupt halt and Mark nearly runs into him, skidding to a stop. Anti holds out a cautionary hand and points to a nondescript wooden door set in an alcove a foot deep in the wall, padlocked shut with an ornate bronze lock. 

“Once we go in here, you have to promise not to touch anything.”

“Okay.”

Anti pulls out a large steel key and unlocks the door, and they enter. The room is suffused in green light, emanating from what looks like a large car battery sitting on a table in the center of the space. He looks on in awe as Anti strokes it lovingly. 

“What is it?”

“It’s my source. It’s what keeps me alive in this form, and I draw my power from it. Egos are kind of weird. We don’t die like you do. Some egos you can kill like a human, but they’ll respawn in a few weeks with a wiped memory. Some don’t die at all, and their physical bodies are impossible to destroy. A few, though, like me and Dark, have a source. Their physical bodies can’t be destroyed, but if you attack their source, they’ll die and have their memory erased like anyone else. You need to get to Markiplier Manor and destroy Dark’s cane, which is his source, and then his memory will be lost and he won’t be able to go through with his plan.”

“How do I do that?”

“We’ll go to the armory and get you a weapon, and I have a map of the ego realm you can use to get there.”

“Why can’t you show me the way?”

“I can’t leave my source for very long. It works like a WiFi signal, I only have a short range I can travel in comfortably. I’m kind of stuck in the manor unless I’m willing to carry it around with me, which I’m not. You’ll have to travel on your own.”

“By myself?”

“Yeah. It’s not that far, only about a day’s walk.”

“Don’t you have cars or something?”

“No. None of the egos I’ve heard of know how to build them, and we don’t have the materials anyways. Anyone who can’t travel using magic just goes on foot.” 

“What sort of weapon are we talking about?”

“Let’s go pick one. We don’t have a lot, but we’ve got a couple options.”

They leave the room, Anti carefully locking it behind them, and walk for another minute before arriving at a small wooden door with a silver shield hanging on it. 

“Here we are.”

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go to armory (33) 


	22. Chapter 22

“I think I’ll take the sword and armor, if that’s all right.”

“Of course. Here, let me help you get the armor on.”

With Anti’s help, Mark straps the armor on, each piece fitting itself perfectly to his body. The straps close themselves magically, so Anti teaches him the magic word to undo them if he needs to take the armor off for some reason. They both giggle when he tells him the word is “linguine.”

“What sorts of things will this deflect?”

“The spell on it prevents bruising, so you’re safe from most blunt-force trauma unless it’s something with a ridiculous amount of force. It’ll protect you from gunshots unless it’s point blank range or the gun is also enchanted, and it’s waterproof, though that probably won’t matter unless it starts raining. Also, please remember that your head is uncovered. The biggest thing you have to worry about, though, is blades. You might still be alright if you get slashed once or twice, but if something stabs it head on and with enough force it’ll cut right through.”

“Watch out for knives and my own sword, got it.”

Anti laughs. “You actually don’t have to worry about cutting yourself, the sword’s enchanted so that it won’t hurt you as long as you’re wearing the scabbard.”

“Cool.” Mark attaches the scabbard to his belt and sheathes the sword. “You said it doubles as a compass?”

“The little needle set in that indent in the hilt always points north so you can orient yourself. Speaking of orienting yourself…”

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Get directions (25) 


	23. Chapter 23

“I’ll take the crossbow.” 

He picks it up from the table. It’s a lightweight weapon, but it’s obviously sturdy and well made, and the arrowhead loaded in it looks razor sharp. 

“Here, let me show you how to use it.” Anti has composed his face once again, his previous sadness dropping away as he shows him where the trigger is and how to aim properly. “It’s a ranged weapon, obviously, so you’ll want to avoid getting into any close quarters fights. Once you’ve fired, it’s likely that you’ve given away your position, so it’s important to be accurate. Follow me, you can get some practice in before you leave.” 

Anti leads him down another long hallway lined with JSE fan artwork, and they exit into a large grassy field dotted with wildflowers. Anti points to a small sapling on the far end of the field. “Shoot a bolt into its trunk,” he instructs. The tree is narrow enough that he could probably wrap one hand around its entire trunk, and it’s over fifty feet away. Mark looks at him in disbelief.

“There’s no way I can hit that.”

“Well, I won’t let you leave until you prove you can actually use that thing, so better start shooting. It’s got an enchantment on it that helps out with accuracy, but you still have to aim it properly.” 

“Fine.”

He crouches down slightly, balancing the crossbow on his shoulder and taking aim. He fires, and the arrow misses the tree by three or four feet. He hears clicking as the crossbow reloads itself, another bolt snapping into existence. He adjusts his aim, fires, and again misses by several feet. 

He keeps shooting for almost a half hour, Anti giving him tips and periodically correcting his stance. A bolt slams into the tree with a satisfying thunk after about fifteen minutes, but Anti keeps him at it until he can do it about once for every four or five shots. He proudly slaps him in the back once he does it twice in a row, a wide grin on his face.

“I think you’ve got the hang of it. Let’s head in.”

“What about the bolts?”

“They’ll disintegrate after a couple hours. One of the advantages of having an enchanted crossbow.”

They walk back to the armory, and Anti gives him a backpack so he doesn’t have to carry the crossbow constantly. 

“So, how do I get to Markiplier Manor?”

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Get directions (25) 


	24. Chapter 24

“Will you teach me to use the sorcerer’s staff?”

Anti picks it up reverently and hands it to him. “Of course. Let me find a spell guide for you.” He kneels down and digs through a cupboard, but Mark suspects he’s using the chance to wipe the tears from his eyes. He reemerges with a sheet of slightly yellowed paper, looking much more composed. Mark looks over the page. It’s a short list of spells, the magic words for each one written by a description of its effect. 

“There’s nothing super complicated on here, so you shouldn’t have too hard of a time with them. Pronunciation doesn’t matter much, these ones are very beginner friendly. Just read the magic words and point the staff at your target. Give it a go. Something that won’t blow me up, preferably.”

He scans the list, then settles on a spell to try. “ _Rolcadstrom!_ ” he shouts, pointing the staff at the wall. A stream of water springs from the end, drenching the stone and breaking up the illusion of several shields. 

“Well done! I don’t think you’ll have any problems. Just make sure the staff doesn’t get damaged, it makes the magic do weird things. Like exploding the caster.”

Mark admires the staff, then tucks it into his belt, sticking the list of spells in his back pocket. “Duly noted. Say, is there a transportation spell that I could use?”

“Not if you want to get there with all your limbs. Teleportation is complicated and risky if you don’t have an inherent ability to use magic, and flying spells are incredibly unstable. Even Marvin doesn’t like doing them.”

“Bummer. I wish I could have saved myself the walk.”

“Speaking of which…”

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Get directions (25) 


	25. Chapter 25

Anti goes over to a chest in the corner of the room and reaches inside, pulling out a creased map that’s clearly seen a lot of use. He spreads it out on the table and points at a green dot on the left hand side. “We’re here, at Septic Manor. Markiplier Manor is all the way over here.” He indicates a red dot much farther to the right. “It doesn’t really matter which route you take, most paths converge there. Just avoid venturing into territories that aren’t mapped out, there’s no telling what you’ll run into.”

“Okay. Any other warnings?”

“No one really knows what’s in the forest, a lot of it’s unexplored and there isn’t a paved trail, though it should be safe enough. Just be on your guard going through it. Also, you’ll almost certainly run into other egos. Be careful who you trust. Some of them are working with Dark.”

“Do you know who?”

“I know for sure that Wilford’s on his side, he’s his right-hand man, but other than that I don’t know. My information isn't exactly up to date since everyone’s been trapped inside for a couple weeks, but I know that there are quite a few power-hungry egos out there. Be cautious.”

“I will.”

⬼⇼⤗

Anti leads him to the front gate and pushes it open. “This is as far as I can go.” Mark hugs him, and he feels a few tears drop onto his shoulder.

“I’ll bring the others back, I promise.”

“I know you can.”

Mark pulls away, and Anti smiles tearfully at him, the green-faced man’s hand lingering on his shoulder. “Thank you for helping us.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for the help too.”

Anti waves a hand dismissively. “I didn’t do much.”

“There’s no way I’d be able to survive here without directions. Plus, you’re the one keeping everyone else safe here.”

“I can’t help the ones we’ve already lost. Only you can do that. Please bring them back safely.”

Mark starts down the path, adjusting the straps of the pack Anti gave him to hold his things. He’d asked for a water bottle, but Anti told him that no one needed to eat or drink in the ego realm, though most did anyways. He was glad he didn’t have to carry the extra weight. He turns back towards the Manor and waves, and receives a wave in return. Then he rounds a corner, and Anti disappears from view.

⬼⇼⤗

⬼End (6/6)⤗  
Mark has agreed to save the ego realm. You have finished "The Introduction." To continue the second part of this tale, go to the next work in this collection: “Start Your Journey”

_Also, feel free to go back and find other endings and paths you missed. There are still characters you haven't met. Who knows, there might even be other things to look for. The chapter numbers seem a bit off to me..._

_.A-_


	26. Chapter 26

He leaves the sidewalk and goes down the dirt path, and the cool fingers of shade from the trees provide a welcome respite from the sun. The light in the woods is dappled and pleasant, and he spots a robin hopping along a tree branch as he passes. He whistles at it, and it cocks its head and chirps back. As he watches, however, a squirrel scampers along the same branch, and the bird is startled into flight, swooping off to find a quieter spot.

Mark chuckles in amusement as the squirrel sits itself down where the bird had been, staring straight at him. He wonders how the rodent manages to appear so haughty. He continues down the trail. He doesn’t see any more birds, but he does see several more squirrels: mostly gray, but he does see a couple red ones and a black one with an especially bushy tail. There’s a large number of them around today, more than he usually sees. After several minutes, he comes to a weathered wooden bench just off the trail, and he sits down to enjoy the forest. He closes his eyes and leans back, listening to the rustling of branches in the wind and the shrill call of a sparrow somewhere in the distance. 

His eyes shoot open as he feels something land on his foot, and he looks down to see a squirrel with fur as dark as velvet sitting on the end of his shoe. It has to be the same one he saw earlier; black squirrels aren’t that common. The squirrel chitters at him, and he stares at it in disbelief. He’s never seen a squirrel stay within two feet of him for longer than a couple seconds, much less come and sit on his foot. It looks much larger now that he’s so close to it. He doesn’t dare move for fear of scaring it off. He feels strangely flattered that the squirrel was placing its trust in him. 

The squirrel chatters again, a silly, high-pitched sound similar to the noise a wind up toy makes when you place it on the table after winding the spring too tightly. It hops off of his foot and bounds a couple paces away, then turns back to look at him and lets out a little squeak that’s too adorable to be allowed. Mark remains still, waiting for it to run away, but it doesn’t, instead approaching him again and resting its paw on the toe of his shoe. It scampers a foot or so away and looks back again. _It looks like it wants me to follow it,_ Mark thinks, but that’s impossible, right?

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Follow the squirrel (27)  
⤗Keep walking along the trail (28) 


	27. Chapter 27

_Well, it can’t hurt,_ he thinks, standing up and walking in the direction the squirrel ran. It dashes ahead, and Mark speeds up to a jog to keep up, feeling a little ridiculous. A thorny vine catches at his pant leg, almost tripping him, and he stops to unhook himself before resuming the chase, albeit with a tad more caution than before. He follows the wildly waving ebony tail of the squirrel as it runs through the undergrowth, barely able to keep track of it. He looks up to see a break in the trees ahead, and the squirrel takes him into a clearing where the sun breaks through the canopy of leaves and branches and shines down on the carpet of dried leaves that coats the forest floor.

In the center of the clearing is an old stone well, five or six feet in diameter. It’s weather-beaten and crumbling, but still filled with water, and rays of sunlight dance and sparkle on the surface, making it look like sparks are hopping from the peaks of each ripple. The squirrel scampers up to the well and leaps up to the edge, staring at him as it deliberately reaches a paw down and scoops up a droplet of liquid, bringing it to its lips and drinking. Mark blinks in disbelief and shock. The squirrel had just pantomimed drinking water like a human would. He is certain that squirrels do not drink water like that. Then the squirrel _beckons him forward_ with one paw, and he is half convinced he’s imagining things. He slowly backs up a few steps. 

The squirrel chirps insistently and splashes the water, throwing sparkling drops into the air as its tail lashes in irritation. A movement to Mark’s left grabs his attention, and he turns to see several more squirrels dart through the trees and stop at the edge of the clearing. Even more gather in branches and on the ground to his right until the entire clearing is ringed by fluffy tails and beady eyes. He glances back towards the black squirrel. It’s making the drinking motion again.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go drink from the well (30)  
⤗Run back to the path (29) 


	28. Chapter 28

Mark stands up and stretches, dismissing the notion and continuing his walk. Squirrels don’t ask for people to follow them. He doesn’t want to go off the trail either, the surrounding woods are notorious for poison ivy and thorny undergrowth and he isn’t exactly in hiking boots. The squirrel scurries alongside him for a few seconds, then darts away into the trees. 

The path was a horseshoe shape, so eventually it spat him back out onto the sidewalk, and the sun shone down uninterrupted once more. He turned towards home, thinking longingly of his temperature regulated house.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go home (12) 


	29. Chapter 29

Mark stumbles backwards, breaking into a run as he heads back towards the trail. He doesn’t want any part of whatever is going on in that clearing. Let some other passerby drink weird well water that a squirrel keeps dipping its paws in. He can hear them chattering behind him, but he doesn’t stop, bursting back onto the trail with a gasp. He only pauses for a moment, deciding which direction to go, before taking off down the trail to where it rejoins the sidewalk. 

He leaves the dirt path and basks in the sun for a moment, bent over and breathing hard. He doesn’t know what happened back in that clearing, but he hopes it never happens again. He’s not going to take the forest path again for a while. He brushes himself off, picking a briar off of his pants where it had lodged itself, and shoots a smile towards a jogger that’s giving him an odd look. 

He straightens up, brushing his hair out of his eyes and heaving a sigh. It’s probably better if he just forgets what happened, or at least tries to carry on his day like normal. He’s had enough of being outside, though. He turns towards home, determined to go home and relax.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Go home (12) 


	30. Chapter 30

Mark rubs his eyes and blinks furiously, but when he opens them again the squirrels are still there. Not imagining things, then? He cautiously walks forwards, and the black squirrel hops down and weaves in between his feet as he goes, almost getting itself stepped on. He can hear branches shaking as squirrels climb out of them and inch closer as he arrives at the well. Their behavior is making him nervous, but he still scoops up a handful of water and brings it to his mouth to drink. Or he tries to, anyways. The water runs out of his hands before they reach his lips, and he looks down in confusion. His hands are _dry._ There’s something unnatural going on here. He tries again, but the same thing happens. He’s strongly reminded of the Greek myth of Tantalus. 

The black squirrel hops up onto the well again and bends over, dipping its paws in and swiftly bringing them to its mouth. 

“I should get closer?” _I’m talking to a squirrel,_ he thinks. But the squirrel starts nodding enthusiastically, so either he’s gone completely bonkers or it understands him. He sends an apprehensive glance over his shoulder at the multitude of squirrels creeping ever closer, but leans over the well so that his face is only about a foot away from the surface and cups some water in his hands. The depths of the well are beautiful and clear, but as far as the sunlight reaches, he can’t see the bottom. 

As soon as he bends over, the squirrels around him erupt into a flurry of activity, rushing towards him in a furry tidal wave. Before he can even start to stand back up, a huge mass of squirrels is pressing against the back of his knees, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling headfirst into the well. He falls with a shout and a massive splash, disappearing completely under the water.

He loses his orientation almost immediately, floundering desperately as he sinks faster than he thought was possible. He isn’t sure which way is up, but he can feel his hands scraping the stone sides and there’s a light in one direction, so he swims towards that. Light means the surface. How had he gotten so deep so quickly? He surfaces with a gasp and a small coughing fit, dashing the water from his eyes and hauling himself back over the side. He swings his legs over, but his feet land on stone, not dirt. He looks up in shock to find himself in a huge courtyard, a massive medieval villa towering above him and the well transformed into an ornate fountain. 

“What is _happening?_ ” he yells to no one in particular. He has just been dumped by a hive mind of squirrels into a well that apparently doubles as a magic _portal_ that has taken him to a fountain in the middle of who knows where. He’s gone nuts. Serves him right for taking directions from a rodent. He stands up, shivering as his wet clothes cling to him, and starts to walk towards the door of the villa. There has to be someone inside who can lend him a towel and tell him where on earth he is. As he raises a hand to knock, however, the door is yanked open, and Mark sees _Jack_ of all people panting slightly and clutching the doorknob so tightly his knuckles are white. 

“It’s you!” his friend gasps, voice gradually rising in pitch as he speaks. “Anti said this might happen, I heard someone yelling and ran down as fast as I could, thank goodness you’re here, oh my, you’re soaking wet, you must be cold-”

“Whoa, slow down, Jack. What’s going on? Where am I?”

“I’m not Jack, I’m Chase!”

“What? Like your character?”

“No, I really am Chase Brody! Welcome to Septic Manor.”

“If this is a joke, it’s not funny. I was almost drowned by a pack of squirrels and I am extremely confused.”

“Squirrels?” For some reason, he starts to blush. “Squirrels brought you here?”

“They shoved me into a well and I popped up in that fountain over there.”

“Awesome! I mean, sorry, not cool, but like, it’s great that you’re here? I’m rambling.”

“Where is here?”

“Septic Manor.”

“But where is the Manor?”

“The ego realm. Oh, you won’t have any idea what I’m talking about. Come in, you can get dried off and I’ll explain everything.”

Mark follows the flustered man inside, frustrated about how few helpful answers he’s getting. There’s no way this is a prank. He just _teleported,_ and now this guy is claiming to be Chase Brody and saying he’s in an ego realm and that Anti, he can only assume that’s short for Antisepticeye, predicted his arrival. He doesn’t know what to think. “Chase” leads him to a large bathroom, pulling a pair of fluffy towels from under the sink so he can dry himself off somewhat. 

“Sorry you’re so wet, hang on, maybe one of the others has some clothes you can borrow, you are the same size, after all-” He bolts for the door.

“Wait, please don’t run off! I need some sort of explanation.”

Chase turns to face him, wringing his hands. “Oh. Right. Yeah. Uh… you might want to sit down.” 

He obligingly plants himself on the toilet seat, still toweling off his hair, and gazes expectantly at the other man, who rubs the back of his neck a little sheepishly. 

“So… all of your egos are real. When the audience starts supporting us as characters and we start to get attention, we appear here, in the ego realm. When a new JSE ego is created, they pop out of that fountain you came through earlier, though we haven’t had anyone new in a couple years and no one’s ever used it as a gate from the real world before.”

“So you really are Chase Brody?”

“Yeah.”

“So why am I here? What was the matter with those squirrels?”

Chase starts to blush again, oddly. “The squirrels sent you here because King got taken.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know your alter ego Darkiplier?”

“Yes.”

“He’s kinda trying to take over the world. He’s been kidnapping egos left and right for the past several weeks, and he wants to drain their power and use it to make a bridge into the real world. The King of Squirrels was taken a few days ago, and all the animals have been flipping out. Anti told me that they might try to bring you here themselves by communicating with their counterparts in the real world, but he was planning to go get you himself if they didn’t.”

“Why me?”

“Dark is a super powerful demon, and none of the egos in the realm can get close to him unless they're on his side. Most of us aren’t even physically capable of touching him, literally. But you’re his creator, which means that the two of you are connected and you’re immune to some of his powers. We need you to defeat him and rescue the people he’s captured, otherwise he’ll break into your plane of existence and that would be really bad for everyone involved. Hence the squirrel-induced dunking.” 

“Whoa.”

“Yeah, sorry, I know it’s a lot, you just got here, and it’s so much pressure-”

“No, no, it’s okay, it’s just hard to absorb all at once.”

“Can you help us? I understand if you can’t, I know it’s a lot to ask, but you’re kinda our only chance…” 

Mark considers the situation. As crazy as all of this is, he does think Chase is telling the truth. He feels a little bit responsible for this world, considering it’s his ego that’s attacking the others, and of course he doesn’t want Dark breaking into his own world. However, it sounds like it’s going to be dangerous, and just because he believes Chase doesn’t mean that he trusts him yet. After all, he’s working with or for Anti, and he’s supposed to be an evil puppeteer, right?

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Help Chase (34)  
⤗Don’t help Chase (31) 


	31. Chapter 31

Mark’s self-preservation instinct is making its presence _known._ There’s no way he can defeat a literal demon, even one he inadvertently created. He wants to go home and distance himself from whatever crazy supernatural stuff is going on here. He feels awful, leaving Chase and King and the other egos like this, but he’s not going to stay. 

“Chase, you’re right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I- this is too much. I can’t do this. I need to go home.”

“What?”

“I can’t help you.”

“But you can! I know you can!”

“How am I supposed to fight a demon that none of you egos can stand against? I’ve been here for all of five minutes.”

“I- well- oh.” Tears start to gather in his eyes, giving them a glassy look. One drops onto the back of his hand, and he looks at it in surprise, then tries to wipe the rest away, hiding his face until it’s as dry as he can get it. He heaves a shuddering breath, then looks at Mark with wide eyes, a forced smile stretched across his cheeks. “That’s all right. We’ll be okay. We’ll find another way to beat Dark. Come with me, I’ll take you back to the well so you can go home.” 

Chase hurriedly ducks out of the bathroom, and Mark follows, feeling like a weight is sitting on his chest. He walks down the hallway behind the ego, looking down at his feet. Chase lurches to a halt, and Mark runs into him, making both of them stumble and eliciting a squeak from the man Mark now notices in front of them. It’s one of his egos; he’s pretty sure it’s Eric Derekson, judging by the loud Hawaiian print shirt and yellow handkerchief he’s twisting in his hands. Eric scans the two of them with a worried face, gaze landing on Chase’s red eyes and large smile. 

“A-Are you okay?”

“What are you talking about, dude? I’m great! I’m just taking Mark here back to the courtyard so he can go home.” 

Eric looks subtly skeptical, shooting Mark a slightly fearful glance. “Why d-don’t you go to the video room and tell Anti that h-he came? I’ll take M-Mark to the courtyard.”

“Fine by me. Off I go, then! Good luck to you, Mark.” Chase spins around and starts to walk back the way they came, a pronounced spring in his step. Eric watches him go with concern, but as soon as he disappears around the corner he rounds on Mark and starts bombarding him with questions. 

“What happened? Why is h-he upset? You’re g-going home? Did Chase t-tell you about King?”

Mark stays silent, guilt raging through him. Eric’s questions trail off, looking at him with a crestfallen expression on his face. 

“You’re leaving without h-helping?”

He nods, unable to look the stuttering man in the eyes. 

“You’re abandoning us?”

“Look, I can’t help you guys. I wish I could, but I can’t… Can you please just show me the way out?”

Something fragile shatters in Eric’s eyes. He straightens up, looking Mark right in the face as he continues to twist his handkerchief and tenses like he’s bracing himself for a hit. “I d-don’t think you really understand what you’re doing. I think you should h-help.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand,” he replies with a hint of bitterness in his tone. “But this isn’t my fight to win.”

“But it is!” His stutter is getting less pronounced as he starts to become visibly agitated. He pokes a finger in Mark’s chest. “It’s your ego that’s causing this, and that means you’re the only one who can defeat him. You h-have no idea what this has done to Chase. He’s been in denial ever since King disappeared. King’s the only one who can break through to him when he gets like this, and it scares me to see h-him crack like that. Do you n-not care about us?”

“I didn’t even know you existed until a few minutes ago!” Mark half-yells, and Eric shrinks back, stutter returning in full force.

“But that d-doesn’t mean we d-don’t matter.” He tries to gather himself again. “I think you c-can find your own way out. I’m going after Chase.”

The ego buries his face in his handkerchief and runs off in down the hall, leaving Mark with a bad taste in his mouth and a rock in his stomach.

⬼⇼⤗

He finds his own way out of the manor without too much trouble, and makes his way to the fountain in the center of the courtyard, his feet echoing on the flagstones. He gets the impression that this place is usually much more lively, that his footsteps shouldn’t ring this loudly through the silence. He sits on the edge of the fountain with his head in his hands.

He isn’t even sure anymore why he doesn’t want to help the egos. He knows that this is the decision he has to make, but why? Is it his conscience? He hated seeing Chase and Eric’s faces drop when he said he wouldn’t help. He hopes they find someone else who can save them. He stands up and throws himself down into the well, swimming towards the light in the distance.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Time passes (32) 


	32. Chapter 32

A week later, he’s slumped on the couch watching the news when his TV starts to glitch out, the image splintering into green pixels and the sound transforming into white noise. He jolts upright as the panicked face of Antisepticeye appears on the screen, bloody tears streaming down his face and sporting a thin cut across one cheek. 

“Mark, you’ve got to smash your computer. Now, quick!”

“What? Why?”

“H-he’s coming, he broke through, you’ve got to go, hurry!” A crash reverberates from somewhere behind him, and he glances backwards with terror in his eyes. 

“Why should I break my computer?”

“Because then he can’t use it as a gateway!”

“Who, Dark?”

“Not just him, it’s-” A loud smash cuts him off, and Anti screams as a version of Mark that could only be Wilford Warfstache tackles him to the floor in full view of the camera, pinning him to the floor and pressing a knife to his throat with a burst of horrifying laughter. 

“Go, go!” he yells as Wilford notices the camera and shoves it to the ground, shattering the image.

Mark leaps to his feet and runs to his recording studio, his heart rate skyrocketing. He yanks the plug out of the wall and goes to scoop up the monitor to throw it to the floor, but he hesitates. His computer is his livelihood. He’s frozen with indecision, but then the screen crackles to life in his hands, and the glass starts to swirl like a psychedelic whirlpool. _Crap._ This is real. He chucks it to the ground and stomps, metal and plastic snapping with sickening pops. He stares down at his mangled monitor. All the glitching has disappeared. He collapses into his chair and buries his head in his hands. He stays that way for a while, questioning his own sanity and wondering what on earth just happened, but he’s brought back to earth by the ring of the doorbell. He gets to his feet and stumbles downstairs to answer it. 

When he pulls it open, he finds- himself. It’s a spitting image of him, dressed in a tight-fitting suit and skin grey and pale. Red and blue afterimages split and shake around him, and there’s an icy smirk on his face. Darkiplier. Behind him he can see Ethan, flushed and trembling as Wilford presses a revolver to the side of his head. Oh, please no. 

Mark’s limbs feel like they’re locked in place from fright, his eyes fixed on the gun. 

"Hello, Mark. Lovely to finally meet you. As you can see, I found another way into your realm. Anti thought he was so clever telling you to break the gate, but all that did was drag your precious friend into this. Now, may we come in?"

Mark shakes from fear and rage. He steps aside, and the three enter, Wilford poking a terrified Ethan in the back to get him to move. Dark sits down at the kitchen table, folding his hands in front of him, and gestures for him to do the same. He slides into a seat, casting a scared look at Ethan, who has tears leaking from the corners of his tightly closed eyes. 

"I'm sure you are well aware of the situation here. I have broken free of that miserable world you trapped me in since my creation, and I fully intend to make the most of my time here." 

"What do you want from me?"

"It's quite simple. Even with all the power I have, I cannot interact with people in this world like Wilford can. I am limited to inanimate objects, and of course that won’t do. I want a body of my own, and you happen to possess the perfect match. So, you have two options. You can give your body to me, or I can take it from you. The second one would be very tiresome for me, so I would appreciate it if we could do this the easy way."

"Never."

"Ah, but you're forgetting something. You may have what I want, but I also have something you want." He nods towards Ethan. "Give up now, and he walks away unharmed. Resist, and I let Wilford have his way with him." 

Mark's mind is racing furiously. He can't let Ethan get hurt, but he also can't let Dark take his body. He glances around, frantically looking for something he can do, and his gaze settles on the knife block. It's close enough that he could reach it in a leap, but Ethan might be dead by the time he can do what he’s thinking of doing. Instead, he pushes his chair back and starts pacing, like he's stricken with indecision. Dark’s eyes follow his every move, but he doesn’t stop him. Each lap brings him closer to the counter. He stalls for time. 

"You promise you won't hurt him?"

"I never go back on my word."

"What happens to me?"

"Your spirit leaves your body. Whatever that means to you and your religion or lack thereof."

"What did you do with Anti?"

"I can tell you're stalling. Choose."

Mark stops. The handle of a knife is within arm's reach. As Dark's eyes widen with realization, he snatches one and holds it to his own throat, hand trembling with fear. A silent rage starts to burn in Dark’s eyes. 

"Y-you need a body, and I can take it away. I won't give it to you unless you let Ethan go first and p-promise that you won't hurt anyone else."

"You're playing a dangerous game," Dark purrs, low and sinister, with a thinly-veiled threat boiling underneath his words. Ethan opens his eyes and squeaks with horror, but Wilford jabs him in the gut and he quiets. 

"Put the knife down."

"Let him go first."

Dark waves towards Wilford, who looks disappointed but holsters his revolver and pushes Ethan towards the couch, where he collapses into a shocked and terrified heap as he gasps for breath. 

"Now put it down."

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Give up (19)  
⤗Mark kills himself (20) 


	33. Chapter 33

Anti yanks open the door to the armory, and a man half-falls into the corridor, evidently having been leaning on the door. He rights himself as Anti glares disapprovingly, and straightens his sunglasses, a Starbucks cup clutched in his hand. 

“Remy, what are you doing in here?”

“Sup, hon. Just taking a coffee break, no need to get your panties in a twist.”

“You know we can’t have food in here.”

“I’m not eating, I’m drinking. There’s a difference.”

“That’s arguably worse. Mark, meet Remy, one of Thomas Sanders’ egos.”

Remy lowers his shades and looks Mark up and down, then nods in approval. “So you’re the guy he’s been going on about all week. Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Mark sticks his palm out, but instead of shaking it, Remy takes it and plants a kiss on the back of his hand. A light blush dusts his cheeks, and Remy smirks. 

“You better get ready for a whole lotta gay in this world, gurl. Most of us don’t care if our creator’s straight or not, we’ll take what we can get.”

“Okay?”

Anti shakes his head in embarrassment as Remy salutes in farewell and saunters away down the passage. 

“Keep an eye out for my fam, will ya? I haven’t been able to talk to them for a bit, they’re probably worried about me,” he calls back over his shoulder. 

“I will.”

“Sorry about that,” Anti says, face more red than green.

“It’s fine. Who’s he talking about?”

“The other Sanders Sides. When egos started getting kidnapped, most of us went into lockdown. Remy was visiting when it started getting serious, so he’s been stuck here for a week and he doesn’t have a way to contact them that’s not incredibly dangerous since the mail service stopped making runs. He acts like he doesn’t care, but he’s really worried about them.”

“That’s awful.”

“Yeah. It’s not a great situation. Most of us don’t have any way of checking if loved ones are okay or not. I have a weird relationship with computers, so the Manor has WiFi, but almost nowhere else does, so we’re reliant on more ‘traditional’ means of communication.”

“Who else is here at the Manor?”

“There’s usually about a dozen of us, but it fluctuates. Some of the Ipliers moved here after Dark started gathering power, but it’s a lot emptier than it would be normally. Way too many people were out and about when the snatchings started. Right now it’s just me, Chase, Remy, Bim Trimmer, Eric Derekson, and Pewdiebot, though he’s deactivated in the attic until we can get the parts to fix him.”

“What happened?”

“He, uh, tried to cook. He made some severe miscalculations and ended up smashing his own arm in the oven door. He short circuited when he saw his own exposed mechanics.”

That’s not the answer he’s expecting. Anti chuckles a little at the look on his face. 

“He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Okay, let’s get you armed.”

The pair enter the armory, and Mark is astounded by the array of medieval weapons that line the walls. Anti sees his expression and laughs. 

“Most of them are fake,” he says, running his hand through a mace and disrupting the illusion. “Marvin lives for the aesthetic.” He drags a chest out from under a table and opens it, revealing a well-polished broadsword, a worn scabbard, and a set of leather plate armor. He reaches up and unhooks a short crossbow from the wall, and takes a wooden staff from it’s holder, hesitating slightly before picking it up. “These are your options,” he says as he lays them out on the table. “I know they don’t look like much, but Marvin’s enchanted them, so don’t underestimate them. That sword can slice through just about anything and doubles as a compass, the armor always fits the wearer no matter what size they are, and the crossbow never runs out of arrows and loads itself.”

“What does the staff do?”

“Oh, that’s- that’s Marvin’s magical staff. Almost anyone can manage basic spells with it, if you want to try that.”

“Doesn’t Marvin need it?”

“He disappeared two and a half weeks ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Anti suddenly seems like he’s trying not to cry. “He was one of the first people to vanish. He was out in the woods looking for potion ingredients and he never came back. We looked for two days before we found his staff. Jameson Jackson vanished while we were searching.”

“I’m sorry.”

Anti sniffles a little and looks away. “That’s why I’m not letting any more egos leave the Manor. It’s not safe outside. Here, I can protect them. I can teach you to use the staff if that’s what you pick.”

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Sword and armor (22)  
⤗Crossbow (23)  
⤗Marvin’s staff (24) 


	34. Chapter 34

Mark can’t leave this world to be overrun. He looks up at Chase’s hopeful face and smiles. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what to do, though. How do I defeat a demon?”

“That part’s pretty simple. Egos are kind of strange, we don’t die like you do. If our physical form gets destroyed, we vanish, but we reappear in a week or so. When I die, I just pop back up in the fountain in the courtyard, only my memory gets wiped, so I’m like a brand new ego. Most characters here behave like humans, so you can ‘kill’ them like people, and that triggers a respawn, but a few of them have bodies that are invincible. Dark is one of those. So is Anti, actually. Instead of a ‘mortal’ form, they have a ‘source,’ some special object that they draw their power and substance from. They’re tied to it, and they have to stay within a certain distance of it or risk damaging themselves. It’s basically the core of their being, and if you destroy it, then their physical form dissolves and their memory is reset. Once Dark respawns, he’ll lose his memories and just be reduced to his core personality. Then we can befriend him and convince him not to take over the world.”

Mark’s a little skeptical. “Really? In videos that’s literally all he wants to do.”

“Egos at their core aren’t evil. We all have a purpose that we instinctively want to fulfill, like me wanting to get my kids back, but it’s not difficult to dissuade a fresh ego.”

“Okay. I’ll just trust you on that one. What’s Dark’s source?”

“His cane. Unlike Anti, who keeps his battery here at the Manor since it’s too heavy and awkward to tote around, he carries it everywhere.”

“Anti’s source is a battery?”

“A large car battery, yes. No one is really sure why the dude who haunts computers got attached to a car battery, but it’s what he has to put up with.”

“Wow. So I just have to get to Dark and smash his cane?”

“The smashing’s the easy part. The hard part is getting to Markiplier Manor in the first place. It’s on the other side of the realm. You’ve got a long walk ahead of you.” 

“Why am I walking? Don’t you guys have cars?”

“No. There are a couple vehicles scattered around from when a character is created with one, but we don’t have gas stations or anything like that, so once they’re out of fuel they’re useless unless you can get someone to enchant them for you. No one at the Manor has one.”

“How long’s the walk?”

“Only about a day. You can-” Chase is cut off by a knock on the bathroom door. 

“Chase? You got someone else in there with you? King’s not going to be happy about that, you know!” Mark is a little startled, it sounds like his own voice. It must be one of his egos.

Chase flushes bright pink and pulls open the door, revealing Mark’s doppelganger, who’s dressed in a black suit and gaudy rainbow striped tie. His double sizes him up, then smirks.

“Well, I’ll be. The glitch was right. Nice to finally meet you, Mark.” A mischievous light starts dancing in his eyes. “What were you two doing in here, Chase? He’s all wet.”

The ego turns even redder, and Mark can feel his own cheeks heating up.

“Bim! He just came up from the fountain.” 

_Oh, it’s Bim Trimmer,_ Mark realizes, finally recognizing the game show host.

“All right then. I thought for a minute that King had some competition.”

Mark did a double take. Chase and King? 

Bim catches his look of confusion and grins as Chase cringes with embarrassment. “He didn’t tell you that? He needs you to go rescue his _boyfriend._ ”

Chase, red as a tomato, shoves the other ego back out of the bathroom, slamming the door in his face. 

“Anti’s looking for you,” he calls through the wood, laughter still evident in his voice. “He said something about a new device in the house trying to get on the WiFi.”

Chase turns back to Mark, some of the red receding slightly. “Do you have your phone on you?”

Mark pats his pocket. “Yeah.”

“That’ll be what he’s sensing, then. Let’s go find him.”

⬼⇼⤗

They walk down the hallway together, Chase slowly returning to his former pallor. Mark bumps his shoulder playfully.

“So, you and King, huh?”

The blush comes rushing back. “Yeah. He helped me through a really tough time, and we kind of bonded over that, and then it just turned into something more.” A sad, faraway look appears in his eyes. “I really miss him.”

“I’ll bring him back,” Mark says determinedly. 

“Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’re helping.”

They round a corner and Mark sees a green-skinned man who can only be Antisepticeye running down the passage towards them. He skids to a halt when he spots the pair, heaving a relieved sigh. 

“Thank goodness. Bim was giggling like a maniac and wouldn’t tell me where you two were. I’m Anti, if you hadn’t realized.” He sticks out a hand, and Mark shakes it. Despite his nasty reputation from videos, he finds himself liking the glitch almost immediately. He seems like he's the dad friend of the egos he’s met so far. “I felt your phone trying to find the WiFi network,” he tells him. “I knew it must be you when the device name showed up as ‘Bumbum’s cell.’” 

Mark rubs one arm and grins in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. “I forgot I named it that. I’m just glad it survived a trip through a magic well.”

“So _that’s_ how you got in. I was wondering. I had planned to go get you myself the next time you turned on your computer, but this works just as well.”

“I already told him what’s going on, and he’s agreed to help us,” Chase says with a grateful glance at Mark. “But he still needs a weapon.”

“A weapon?” Now that he thought about it, that was probably a very smart idea. 

“Yup. I’ll take you to the armory,” Anti says. “Chase, do you want me to take it from here?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m going to get back to filming.”

“Will you stop by the kitchen on your way and make sure Bim’s staying out of trouble?”

“No problem. See you later, bro!” He shoots double finger guns at Mark, who laughs and returns the gesture. A barely noticeable shadow passes over his gaze, and he wraps Mark in a hug as well. “Get King and the others home safe.”

“I promise I will.” 

Chase gives Anti a fist bump, then jogs off back the direction they came. The glitch turns to Mark and gives him a thankful smile as he leads Mark the opposite direction. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s my ego that’s the issue, after all.”

“No, I mean for comforting Chase. He acts like he’s okay, but he’s been really upset the past day or so. He’s been trying to bury it, but his mask isn’t that great.”

“Oh. I mean, I wasn’t about to abandon you guys. Plus, I’d feel the same way if something happened to Amy.”

“He told you about King, then?”

“Bim did.”

“You’re okay with that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was worried that you’d think egos dating other egos would be weird.”

“I mean, it’s a little strange to think about, but I guess I’m fine with it. I kind of assumed you guys would be straight, though, since Jack and I are.”

“Nope. Some of us are, but we’re still our own people. We pick our own sexualities.”

“Okay then.”

They arrive at a short wooden door with a small, silver shield hanging on it, set deep into the stone wall. 

“This is the armory,” the ego announces.

⬼⇼⤗

⤗Enter the armory (33) 


	35. Chapter 35

_Ah, I wondered how many people would notice the extra page. Congratulations on finding the "secret ending." I mean, it's really just a few of my thoughts. Watching you progress is thoroughly enjoyable._

_Be sure to look carefully. There is much to be discovered here, and each of the four parts in this story has a secret chapter from yours truly._

_F.inally, this is really happening._  
_A.ll I had to do was take some risks._  
_K.eeping this all organized was a pain,_  
_E.specially labeling every chapter properly._

_It will be worth it._

_See you soon._  
_-A._


	36. Story Map

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a map I created for this story. It has spoilers for this part (duh), but not for the rest of the story. Just a note, if it's not showing up you can load it in a new tab.  
> Edit: So it deleted it... Should be fixed now


End file.
